Lineup complete for group-stage draw
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Article summary
The lineup for the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League group stage is complete and the 32 clubs have been split into four seeding pots for the draw at 18.00CET on Thursday in Monaco.
Article top media content
Article body
The lineup is complete for the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League group stage and 32 clubs await the draw at 18.00CET on Thursday at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
Former champions AFC Ajax, returning duo AJ Auxerre and FC København and group-stage newcomers MŠK Žilina and Tottenham Hotspur FC became the final five sides to earn their berths at the conclusion of the play-off round on Wednesday night, all celebrating victories at home. Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC, FC Basel 1893, FK Partizan, SC Braga and SV Werder Bremen had earlier won through in Tuesday's play-off second legs to join the 22 automatic entrants led by holders FC Internazionale Milano.
In all, 18 associations are represented and as well as Tottenham and Žilina, Braga, Hapoel, Bursaspor and FC Twente will be making their group-stage debuts. By contrast, Manchester United FC will be in the draw for a record 16th time out of a possible 19. Only 12 of last year's 32 contenders have qualified again.
For the draw, the 32 teams are split into four seeding pots depending on each club's coefficient. Every group will contain one team from each of the seeding pots, though no club can play a side from their own association and there are further procedures determining the exact placing of each contender.
| Club | Route | Last in | Years* | 2009/10** | Best*** |
| Pot 1 | |||||
| FC Internazionale Milano | Holders/ Champions, Italy | 2009/10 | 9 | Winners | Winners |
| FC Barcelona | Champions, Spain | 2009/10 | 14 | Semi-finals | Winners |
| Manchester United FC | Runners-up, England | 2009/10 | 15 | Quarter-finals | Winners |
| Chelsea FC | Champions, England | 2009/10 | 8 | Round of 16 | Runners-up |
| Arsenal FC | Third place, England | 2009/10 | 12 | Quarter-finals | Runners-up |
| FC Bayern München | Champions, Germany | 2009/10 | 13 | Runners-up | Winners |
| AC Milan | Third place, Italy | 2009/10 | 13 | Round of 16 | Winners |
| Olympique Lyonnais | Runners-up, France | 2009/10 | 10 | Semi-finals | Semi-finals |
| Pot 2 | |||||
| SV Werder Bremen | Third place, Germany | 2008/09 | 6 | UEL, round of 16 | Quarter-finals |
| Real Madrid CF | Runners-up, Spain | 2009/10 | 14 | Round of 16 | Winners |
| AS Roma | Runners-up, Italy | 2008/09 | 6 | UEL, round of 32 | Runners-up |
| FC Shakhtar Donetsk | Champions, Ukraine | 2008/09 | 5 | UEL, round of 32 | Group stage |
| SL Benfica | Champions, Portugal | 2007/08 | 5 | UEL, qf | Winners |
| Valencia CF | Third place, Spain | 2007/08 | 6 | UEL, qf | Runners-up |
| Olympique de Marseille | Champions, France | 2009/10 | 6 | UEL, round of 16 | Winners |
| Panathinaikos FC | Champions, Greece | 2008/09 | 8 | UEL, round of 16 | Runners-up |
| Pot 3 | |||||
| Tottenham Hotspur FC | Fourth place, England | Debut | 0 | Did not compete | Semi-finals |
| Rangers FC | Champions, Scotland | 2009/10 | 9 | Group stage | Semi-finals |
| AFC Ajax | Runners-up, Netherlands | 2005/06 | 8 | UEL, round of 32 | Winners |
| FC Schalke 04 | Runners-up, Germany | 2007/08 | 2 | Did not compete | Quarter-finals |
| FC Basel 1893 | Champions, Switzerland | 2008/09 | 2 | UEL, group stage | Second group stage |
| SC Braga | Runners-up, Portugal | Debut | 0 | UEL, 3qr | N/A |
| FC København | Champions, Denmark | 2006/07 | 1 | UEL, round of 32 | Group stage |
| FC Spartak Moskva | Runners-up, Russia | 2006/07 | 9 | Did not compete | Semi-finals |
| Pot 4 | |||||
| Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC | Champions, Israel | Debut | 0 | UEL, round of 32 | N/A |
| FC Twente | Champions, Netherlands | Debut | 0 | UEL, round of 32 | N/A |
| FC Rubin Kazan | Champions, Russia | 2009/10 | 1 | UEL, round of 16 | Group stage |
| AJ Auxerre | Third place, France | 2002/03 | 3 | Did not compete | Quarter-finals |
| CFR 1907 Cluj | Champions, Romania | 2008/09 | 1 | UEL, group stage | Group stage |
| FK Partizan | Champions, Serbia | 2003/04 | 1 | UEL, group stage | Runners-up |
| MŠK Žilina | Champions, Slovakia | Debut | 0 | UEL, play-off round | N/A |
| Bursaspor | Champions, Turkey | Debut | 0 | Did not compete | N/A |
*Past group-stage appearances not including 2010/11
**UEFA Champions League unless stated
***Includes pre-1992 European Champion Clubs' Cup
UEL=UEFA Europa League
3qr=third qualifying round
qf=quarter-finals
